No question of banning Bajrang Dal if it plays by rule-book: Congress leader Veerappa Moily
Bengaluru(PTI): There is no question of banning the Bajrang Dal if it plays by the rule-book and behaves itself, senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily said on Friday, as his party's manifesto proposing to outlaw the outfit continues to come under fire from the BJP.
Speaking to PTI, Moily said the reference should be viewed as the Congress issuing some kind of a notice and warning to Bajrang Dal, and not as if the party is going to ban it if it's voted to power in the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka.
On this issue, the former Chief Minister indicated that the Congress would adopt the approach of the then Home Minister Vallabhbhai Patel who, he said, lifted the ban on RSS after receiving an undertaking from the organisation that it would not indulge in "illegal activities".
The Congress in its manifesto for the Assembly polls released earlier this week said it was committed to take firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.
The party said: "We believe that law and Constitution are sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on such organisations."
Moily said the "well-drafted" manifesto says organisations and individuals indulging in hate-crimes and illegal and anti-national activities would be severely dealt with and in that context PFI and Bajrang Dal were mentioned, and that the party would go to the extent of imposing a ban. "That does not mean we have done it, we are going to do it (ban)."
The former Union Minister said the Congress party has got its "own culture".
When Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, Patel banned the RSS, and an order to outlaw the organisation was issued, Moily said. But the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took the view that "we will not take that kind of decision, because everybody belonging to RSS is not bad, only a few people may indulge in that. Don't have them (ban) like that and that's how he wanted the Home Minister to lift the ban."
"Before lifting the ban, Patel got an undertaking from the RSS that they will not indulge in politics or any such illegal activity. That undertaking was given (by the RSS). On that condition, the ban was removed. That is how graciously the Congress has dealt with the situation. In future, we will also do the same thing (in case of Bajrang Dal).
"If Bajrang Dal doesn't involve themselves in hate crimes, anti-national or anti-Constitutional issues, or they don't involve themselves in crimes, there is no question of ban, let them behave themselves, that's all, this (manifesto) is some sort of a notice given to them," Moily said.
He said the proposal of the Congress to ban Bajrang Dal would have no adverse impact on the party's electoral prospects in next week's elections.
"People of Karnataka are vigilant, and they are understanding, they realise the importance of it. It's only a warning to those bodies (such as Bajrang Dal) and individuals to behave themselves and work as per Constitution and also go by the rule of law of the country," Moily added.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
